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Business Acumen for Admin Professionals

Develop the business intelligence executives rely on to make smarter decisions.

Read on for the latest tips, tricks, and skills that are most in demand for today's executive assistants and administrative professionals.

Business Acumen for Admin Professionals

Develop the business intelligence executives rely on to make smarter decisions.

What's Included?

Today’s administrative professionals have the opportunity to be true partners in organizational success. To do so, they must develop strong business insight, sharpen critical thinking, and communicate in ways that influence decisions and align with strategic goals. Without these advanced skills, even highly capable admins risk being underutilized or overlooked.

This four-part series provides the knowledge and tools to elevate your role. You’ll learn to think strategically, communicate with greater impact, and align more closely with executive priorities. By the end, you’ll be prepared to move from task execution to proactive, high-level contribution—solidifying your role as a trusted, strategic partner.

Who Will Benefit?

This course is designed for experienced administrative professionals who want to refine their business acumen and strengthen their influence. You’ll explore not just how to support leadership, but also why decisions are made and where admins can add value to organizational success. The concepts apply across industries—including corporate, academic, government, and non-profit settings.

Level of Difficulty/Prerequisites: 

This is an intermediate to advanced course. Participants need a strong foundation in office administration basics.

Course Schedule

Session 1: Business Strategy and Financial Fundamentals: Connecting Big Picture with Everyday Impact

Monday, December 1, 2025, 1pm – 2:15pm ET

As an administrative professional, you contribute value to your organization—but without a clear understanding of strategy and finances, it’s easy to miss opportunities to create additional impact. When administrative staff lack this kind of higher-level knowledge, it can lead to tunnel vision, which negatively impacts performance and perceptions that others have of the administrative function. By learning how strategy and finance connect to day-to-day operations, participants will be better equipped to contribute meaningfully to strategic conversations, decision making, and overall organizational success.

In this session, you will: 

  • Explore common organizational structures and how they impact workflow and communication
  • Discover how different business models influence priorities and decision-making
  • Learn about the internal and external business ecosystem and how these factors shape strategy
  • Gain a foundational understanding of financial terminology and reporting tools, plus how they can be used in your role
  • Understand how administrative work aligns with and supports the big picture of the organization
Bonus Resource: Understanding Your Business Ecosystem Worksheet

Tuesday, December 2, 2025, 1pm – 2:15pm ET

Strong communication is one of the most important skills for all administrative professionals—but writing for executive audiences requires elevated skills and a more strategic approach. In this session, you will learn to communicate like a Chief of Staff, even if you’re not one and don’t aspire to ever be. Without these skills, your messages can be ignored, misunderstood, or cause unnecessary tension. This session focuses on striking the right balance between clarity, brevity, and diplomacy. Participants will learn to tailor their communication to match executive expectations and drive action with purposefully crafted messages.

In this session, you will: 

  • Learn how to write with clarity and influence to capture executive attention
  • Explore how to adapt communication style to match the preferences of different leaders
  • Discover techniques to balance brevity, professionalism, and diplomacy in high-stakes messages
  • Gain practical strategies for editing your writing for tone, structure, and impact


Bonus Resource: Proofreading Tip Sheet—Manual and AI Enhanced

Monday, December 8, 2025, 1pm – 2:15pm ET

Strategic thinking isn’t just for executives—it’s a vital skill for administrative professionals who want to contribute at a higher level. Without a strategic mindset, it’s easy to become reactive instead of proactive, missing key opportunities to solve problems before they escalate or to align your work with broader goals. Even worse, you may inadvertently create challenges for yourself and others! This session explores practical steps for strategic thinking and introduces simple tools to strengthen your analysis, planning, and assessment processes.

In this session, you will: 

  • Explore what strategic thinking looks like in an administrative role and how it differs from operational thinking
  • Discover tools and techniques for applying strategic thinking to daily responsibilities
  • Learn how to approach problem solving and decision-making with a deeper level of analysis
  • Identify common critical thinking pitfalls and how to avoid them
  • Learn how to ask better questions to drive clearer thinking and better outcomes

Bonus Resource: Cognitive Distortions Tip Sheet

Tuesday, December 9, 2025, 1pm – 2:15pm ET

Being great at managing tasks is important for any administrative professional—but it’s no longer enough. To be seen as a true business partner, admins must shift from simply completing work to proactively identifying ways to create value. This session ties together the concepts from the full training series to help you take initiative in ways that elevate your role. Without this shift, admins risk being underutilized and overlooked for higher-level opportunities.

In this session, you will: 

  • Discover what it means to operate as a strategic business partner in your role
  • Learn how to identify opportunities to add value beyond your core responsibilities
  • Explore how to build and strengthen cross-functional relationships across the organization
  • Gain insight into the executive mindset and how to anticipate your leader’s needs
  • Understand how to apply what you’ve learned to support broader business goals

Bonus Resource: Executive Perspective Worksheet

Related

Webinar FAQ

You must be a Free or Professional Member to attend webinars. Certain webinars are exclusive to Professional Members ($199/year). Courses and workshops are not included with Membership. Learn more about the differences between webinars, courses, and workshops here.

Live sessions: You’ll receive a confirmation email from ON24, but your order confirmation email and Order History > Order Details will have a direct link to join as well.

On-demand: The post-checkout screen, your order confirmation email, and Order History > Order Details will have links to the on-demand materials.

Yes! Both the recording and certificate can be found under Order History > Order Details. For live sessions, please wait 1 to 3 business days after the live session for these materials to be uploaded (you’ll receive them via email as well). If you can’t attend the live session, you will still receive the recording.

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December 1st, 2nd, 8th, & 9th

1PM-2:15PM ET

0.4 CEUs - 4 hours

Price: $395 OR Included with Premium Membership

Or

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